The future is shiny bright at St Peter’s preschool

St Peters Preschool installed Solar Panels during April. We are now harvesting our daily energy from the sun. 

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A new solar project will not only help cut costs, but also reduce the carbon footprint of one of

Armidale’s longest running preschools.

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St Peter’s Preschool has launched a crowdfunding campaign on 29 October 2016, which it hopes will raise $8,500 needed to install a 3.47 kWp solar system, supplied by New England Solar Power.

 

St Peter’s Director, Jane Schutz said with winter temperatures dropping below freezing, heating

costs for the small community-owned preschool is one of services’ biggest annual

expenses.

 

“With just under 40 children attending the preschool each day, we are heavily reliant on air

conditioners to keep the rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. But with electricity costs

rising, it now accounts for more than 10 per cent of our annual budget excluding wages.”

 

Ms Schutz said the solar panels will create significant savings from both an economic and

environmental perspective.

 

“Approximately 40 per cent of the preschool's electricity will be generated by solar each year,

saving the preschool approximately $1,000 on electricity and reducing our carbon emissions

by 3,789 kg CO2-equivalent per annum.”

 

The first phase of the project includes the installation of 11 panels and 11 micro-inverters.

Installed beneath each solar panel, micro-inverters maximise energy production and convert

DC power into low-voltage AC electricity.

 

Armidale Regional Council has already thrown its support behind the project, awarding a

$1000 community grant to the service which will act as seed funding.

 

Ms Schutz said the addition of an interactive web-based application will allow the children and

their families to monitor energy production and consumption on the site in real-time.

 

“This is will be a wonderful teaching aid for the preschool. The children and their families will

be able to see just how much electricity is being generated from the sun. And what effect turning

off a light or putting a on heater can have on energy consumption.”

 

Ms Schutz said the project is set to benefit the current members of the preschool, but added

that more than 1000 families from Armidale and surrounds are estimated to have direct

contact, experience and interaction with solar energy during the lifespan of the solar panels.

 

“We are already harvesting fruit and vegetables from our gardens and feeding our worms the

scraps from morning fruit time. Installing solar panels is just the next step in our drive to be

sustainable.